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With his 70th birthday right around the corner, Prince Charles has just made it crystal clear that he's not interested in beating around the bush with reporters anymore.

To tease the new BBC documentary Prince, Heir, and Son: Charles at 70, the news organization released a clip of the heir talking about his future in the monarchy. But when asked a question about whether or not he was going to continue speaking out about the issues he cares deeply about - like wildlife conservation, traditional farming, and herbal medicines - he gave a rather snappy response.

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"No, it [his public campaigning] won't. I'm not that stupid," Charles said. "I do realize that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course, I understand entirely how that should operate." The Prince of Wales declared it would be "nonsense" to think he could campaign publicly as king. Well, alrighty then, Charles. It was JUST A QUESTION.

To be fair to the Prince of Wales, he did go on in a helpful way to explain what he meant, which was that he has to operate within certain "constitutional parameters" when he's king.

"It's vital to remember, there's only room for one sovereign at a time, not two," Charles began. "So, you can't be the same as the sovereign if you're the Prince of Wales or the heir."

Understood. But his sassiness flared up once again when he was pressed about accusations that he had been "meddling" in public issues over the course of his royal career.

"If it's meddling to worry about the inner cities as I did 40 years ago, then if that's meddling, I'm proud of it," Charles clapped back.

The BBC states that those who have known him for years say he fully understands that once he becomes the reigning monarch, he has to stop. Why hasn't he made that known publicly until now? Apparently, because he has felt over the years that "any reference to how he will function as a monarch could be seen as being disrespectful to his mother." Again, fair.

If you're wondering if Charles's bold attitude will carry throughout the rest of his birthday documentary, you'll have to tune into BBC One at 9:00 p.m. U.K. time (or 4 p.m. ET) to catch the full film. Otherwise, you can catch a few clips from the project on the BBC's website.